Robert De Niro has revealed that he can't wait to reunite with Martin Scorsese for the ninth time.

The next collaboration for the Oscar-winning filmmaker and the Hollywood actor will be The Irishman, which will also star Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

"Marty and I have another gangster film we're going to do and it's a very interesting one to do. I'm looking forward to it," Robert said.

The 70-year-old actor is set to portray contract killer Frank Sheeran, with Al as International Brotherhood of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa and Joe as Russell Bufalino, head of the crime family in The Irishman, which is based on Charles Brandt's book, I Heard You Paint Houses.

He admitted that filming will not begin until later, because Martin is working on two films - The Wolf Of Wall Street and Silence.

"We're preparing it. We have a script," Robert continued. "Marty has another film he's doing before that but we're going to do it. It won't be for a while."

Robert, who stars in Luc Besson's The Family with Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, revealed he understands the appeal of gangsters on screen. He is best known for his portrayal of gangsters in Scorsese's Goodfellas, The Untouchables and Casino.

"I guess people are fascinated by them because they're against the establishment in some ways. They break the law and the rules," he said.

The Irishman would mark the ninth collaboration for Robert and Martin since their first partnership on Mean Streets in 1973. They have also worked together on Taxi Driver, New York New York, Raging Bull, The King Of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear and Casino.